Home Depot goes hard. The company pretty much invented the hardware superstore when it began in 1978, just by being so big. They inflated the neighborhood tool shop into a whole city of lumber, hammers, caulk, power saws, and big rolls of wire. I would know I’m in a Home Depot blindfolded, because of a…
Electronic Arts and BioWare will sunset their online multiplayer game Anthem on January 12, effectively making it obsolete. “Anthem was designed to be an online-only title so once the servers go offline, the game will no longer be playable,” BioWare wrote in the announcement. On August 15, the game will disappear from EA Play’s playlist….
Other Antennas We Tested One for All Amplified (16662) Photograph: Ryan Waniata One for All Amplified (16662) for $100-$120: This sphere-shaped antenna isn’t bad, just surprisingly expensive. The first time I scanned for channels it found nearly all available, including multiple NextGen channels, and offered clear and stable reception. It proved slightly inconsistent upon channel…
Protect Those Headphones Satechi 2-in-1 Headphone Stand Photograph: Julian Chokkattu Even durable headphones are easy to damage. We have lost pairs to folks standing on them, cats and robot vacuums attacking the cables, and chairs rolling over them. I have learned that a stand or holder is worth the investment if it keeps those cans…
“Changing a tire is a straightforward task in perfect conditions,” says Ryan Pszczolkowski, Consumer Reports’ tire program manager. “But often the location is dangerous, such as a busy roadway, or there’s a wrinkle, such as when you find out your car doesn’t have a working spare tire. It’s wise to know how to change a…
To find the best room fans for most people, we brought three fan types—tabletop, pedestal, and box fans—into our labs and vigorously tested them for wind speed, ease of use, noise, and energy consumption. As for safety—another one of our concerns during testing—all of the room fan models we tested are designed with guards that…
The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. When Todd Sacktor was about to turn 3, his 4-year-old sister died of leukemia. “An empty bedroom next to mine. A swing set with two seats instead of one,” he said, recalling the lingering traces of her presence in the house. “There was this missing…
“The signal was out there that this is going to be a heavy, significant rainfall event,” says Vagasky. “But pinpointing exactly where that’s going to fall, you can’t do that.” Flash floods in this part of Texas are nothing new. Eight inches of rainfall in the state “could be on a day that ends in…
3. Minimize travel. If you can delay errands or other activities, you’ll preserve the gas that you purchased and reduce overall consumption for the region, helping in some small way to reduce gas scarcity. 4. Obey speed limits. When you drive, follow the speed limits and drive smoothly. Your driving habits can play a significant…
“There’s a trend in small appliances where people prefer a multipurpose machine that can do it all,” says Stacy Canova-Turner, a CR market analyst who covers small kitchen appliances. “It’s true for blenders, food processors, toaster ovens, and air fryers. For instance, with the right combination blender and food processor, you can make your favorite…